Piita Irniq facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Piita Taqtu Irniq
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|---|---|
| 2nd Commissioner of Nunavut | |
| In office April 1, 2000 – April 21, 2005 |
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| Prime Minister | Jean Chrétien Paul Martin |
| Premier | Paul Okalik |
| Preceded by | Helen Maksagak |
| Succeeded by | Ann Meekitjuk Hanson |
| MLA for Keewatin Region | |
| In office March 10, 1975 – October 1, 1979 |
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| Preceded by | first member |
| Succeeded by | district abolished |
| MLA for Aivilik | |
| In office October 5, 1987 – October 15, 1991 |
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| Preceded by | Tagak Curley |
| Succeeded by | James Arvaluk |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 1, 1947 Lyon Inlet near Repulse Bay, Northwest Territories, Canada |
| Occupation | cultural teacher |
| Profession | politician |
Piita Taqtu Irniq, also known as Peter Irniq, was born on February 1, 1947. He is an Inuk politician from Canada. He served as the second commissioner of Nunavut from April 2000 to April 2005. The Commissioner is like a representative of the King or Queen in the territory.
Contents
About Piita Irniq
Piita Irniq was born in Lyon Inlet, near a place now called Naujaat in Nunavut. He is an expert in Inuit culture and has spent most of his life in the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut. This includes towns like Naujaat, Coral Harbour, Baker Lake, Chesterfield Inlet, Rankin Inlet, and Iqaluit. He has also lived in other parts of Canada, like the Northwest Territories, Manitoba, and Ontario.
Early Career and Politics
From 1974 to 1975, Irniq worked as an assistant to a high-ranking official in the Northwest Territories. In 1975, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. He represented the Keewatin Region for four years. This made him a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA).
After that, from 1979 to 1981, he became the first Inuk to be an assistant regional director for a government department in the former Keewatin Region. He also became the first Inuk to be a superintendent of renewable resources. In this role, he encouraged more Inuit people to be hired in the department.
In 1982, Irniq was chosen as the first Speaker of the Keewatin Council. This was an important leadership role, and he held it until 1983. He was then elected president of the Keewatin Inuit Association, where he served for five years.
Returning to the Legislature
Irniq was elected again to the Northwest Territories Legislature in 1987. He represented the Aivilik area. His main goal was to help Inuit people get more involved in jobs, education, and business. He ran for election again in 1991 but was not elected that time.
Cultural and Government Roles
In 1992, Irniq became the executive director of the Inuit Cultural Institute. This organization works to preserve and promote Inuit culture. A year later, he became the director of communications for Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated. This group played a big part in creating Nunavut.
From 1997 to 1998, Irniq worked for the Government of the Northwest Territories. He helped create cultural and heritage programs for the new territory of Nunavut. From 1998 to 1999, he served as the deputy minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth. His job was to protect traditional Inuit culture and language.
In 1999, Irniq helped set up important offices for the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut. These offices dealt with official languages, access to information, and rules about conflicts of interest.
Later Contributions
Piita Irniq also writes a column for the Nunavut News/North newspaper. In his column, he shares an Inuit point of view.
In 2003, he was recognized for his work and became a Commander of the Order of St. John. In 2005, he joined the board of directors for the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. This foundation works to build a better Canada free from racism. More recently, he was an important advisor for a National Film Board of Canada project called Unikkausivut: Sharing Our Stories.
See also
Images for kids
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The personal coat of arms of Piita Irniq.
